Mexico implements 50% tariff on white corn imports

The federal government has imposed a 50% tariff on white corn imports in an effort to limit human consumption of genetically modified (GM) maize. The hefty tariff on maíz blanco harinero – white corn used to make corn flour – took effect Saturday, a day after the measure was announced in a presidential decree. The tariff, which ends access to cheap white corn imports, is scheduled to remain in force until Dec. 31, 2023, after which Mexico intends to ban the importation of GM maize for human consumption. The decree also extends until the end of the year a 50% levy on white corn exports that was due to expire this week. That measure is aimed at encouraging Mexican producers to sell their harvests locally. A 20% tariff had applied to white corn imports, but the government removed that levy – and other duties on basic foodstuffs – in January in an attempt to put downward pressure on consumer prices as high inflation continued to afflict the country. However, the decree published on ...